Over 100 former Republican leaders have endorsed the Democratic Party’s presidential contender, Kamala Harris, stating that former President Donald Trump is unsuitable to hold any public office.
The Harris campaign issued a statement signed by 111 former Republican leaders on Wednesday, as reported by CNBC. Former national security and international policy officials from Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump administrations, as well as Republican Members of Congress, participated.
“We believe that the President of the United States must be a principled, serious, and steady leader who can advance and defend American security and values, strengthen our alliances, and protect our democracy,” the letter stated.
The former officials also emphasized that though they may not be on the same page with Harris when it comes to several domestic and foreign policy issues, they “believe” that Harris “possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not. We therefore support her election to be President.”
The former officials in the letter also explained why they opposed their party’s presidential nominee. “We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump,” they stated.
“As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents.”
The former officials then went ahead to accuse Trump of inciting the deadly January 6 U.S. Capitol Attack and defending the perpetrators. “In our view, by inciting the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and defending those who committed it, he has violated his oath of office and brought danger to our country,” the letter stated.
“As former Vice President Pence has said ‘anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.’”
Elsewhere in the letter, the former officials said they respect that several of their party members for a “variety of reasons” support Trump’s candidacy over Harris. “We recognize and do not disparage their potential concerns, including about some of the positions advocated by the left wing of the Democratic party,” the letter stated.
“But any potential concerns pale in comparison to Donald Trump’s demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior and disregard for our Republic’s time-tested principles of constitutional governance.”
The letter added: “His unpredictable nature is not the negotiating virtue he extols. To the contrary, in matters of national security, his demeanor invites equally erratic behavior from our adversaries, which irresponsibly threatens reckless and dangerous global consequences.”
They concluded: “In short, Donald Trump cannot be trusted ‘to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic . . . and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.’ We believe that Kamala Harris can, and we urge other Americans to join us in supporting her.”
Harris being endorsed by the former officials comes after other Republican Party members similarly threw their weight behind her candidacy. Harris, per CNBC, has been trying to gain support from moderate voters and conservatives who could be fed up with Trump.